United States
Department of
Agriculture
Forest
Service
Southwestern Region
Regional Office
333 Broadway SE
Albuquerque, NM 87102
FAX (505) 842-3800
V/TTY (505) 842-3292
File Code: 5700/5100
Date: July 26, 2012
Col. Todd Rea
AASF #1 State Aviation Officer
Arizona Army National Guard
5653 East McDowell Road
Arizona Army Aviation Support Facility
Phoenix, AZ 85008-3495
Dear Colonel Rea:
The USDA Forest Service has recently issued new direction that provides for Army National
guard pilots that meet Readiness Level 1 (RL1) to be approved for firefighting missions on
National Forest lands. Based on the letter that I received from Andrew Smeltzer (Arizona Army
National Guard) through Dale Brown (Arizona State Forestry Division) the following pilots that
meet RL1 are approved for firefighting bucket operations:
Approved Pilots:
CW4 Andrew Smeltzer
CPT Joshua Adams
LTC Christopher Baril
CW2 Robert Erlick
CW2 Colt Galusha
CPT Caleb Grandy
CW2 Thomas Puckett
CW3 Emmitt Williams
CW4 CW4 Timothy Woods
CW4 Kenneth Twigg
CW3 Ronnie Banning
CW2 David Barnhill
CW2 Victor Favela
CW2 Benjamin Gilman
CPT Mindy Miller
CW2 Jonathan Rovey
CW2 Lance Thurston
Approval is granted based on a request from the Arizona State Forestry Division. All flight
operations on National Forest fires must comply with the Interagency Helicopter Operations
Guide (IHOG). This approval is in accordance with Forest Service Manual (FSM) 5712.34 for
pilots and FSM 5713.43 for aircraft and is valid until May 31, 2013.
For fire assignments on Forest Service incidents, an Incident Command System qualified
helicopter manager will be assigned to the flight crew to assist in coordination and
communication with the Incident Management Team. The helicopter manager will be
experienced in wildfire operations and will conduct a comprehensive briefing daily prior to
commencing work. The briefing will cover mission objectives, other aircraft assigned to the
incident, assigned frequencies, known aerial hazards and safety priorities.
Caring for the Land and Serving People
Printed on Recycled Paper
Col. Todd Rea
2
Approved Aircraft/Call Sign:
79-23338/KYOTE 38
85-24416/KYOTE 16
87-24602/KYOTE 02
89-26136/KYOTE 36
80-23487/KYOTE 87
82-23676/KYOTE 76
79-23313/KYOTE 13
Aligned with the Forest Service’s Safety Management Systems and policy documents, pilots
must participate in accident prevention through reporting in the SAFECOM system hazards,
conditions, maintenance deficiencies, acts and circumstances which have the potential to cause
an aviation-related mishap. Reports should be submitted on-line at www.safecom.gov. The
SAFECOM system is not intended to be used punitively, rather as a tool to identify and correct
safety related concerns. A positive reporting culture has been shown to enhance awareness and
increase safety.
This letter supersedes the previous approval letter dated June 5, 2012. Please keep a copy of this
letter in each approved aircraft.
You may contact Kristine Damsgaard, Regional Aviation Officer, at (505) 842-3359, if you have
questions or need further information. We appreciate your valuable assistance in interagency
firefighting efforts.
Sincerely,
/s/ Kristine Damsgaard
KRISTINE DAMSGAARD
Asst Director, Aviation Officer
cc: Bob Leaverton
John W Bussell
Jami Anzalone
Richard M Nieto
pdl r3 fam_FFMO